Silver Swords, Black Crows
by 002219
Summary: Fate stay night / Fate prototype crossover. When Rin Tohsaka saved a boy from certain death, she had been relieved. Relieved, and tired. Which made her forget to check up on him. Which led Servant Lancer to come after him without interference- at first, anyway. Fortunately for the red-haired magus, there is a witch who can help him in her stead. A witch on the night of fate.
1. Contrived coincidence

Prologue Start

* * *

Rin Tohsaka has had a very tiring night. She went through a battle with a Servant, instantaneous advanced-level reinforcement magic, and pouring a massive amount of energy to heal a boy. Because of this, she had a hard time keeping her eyes open.

So, it really can't be blamed that she completely forgot to check up on the boy, instead heading off towards her own house to sleep.

Her Servant, the enigmatic Archer, suppressed a smile as he caught his Master's slip-up, but did nothing to correct it. In the end, it is better off if the red-haired boy had died, after all.

Unfortunately for the internally squee-ing red knight, Shirou Emiya happened to be the protagonist of a Visual Novel. If he was to die, then there will inevitably be some force of nature that pushes factors into his survival.

* * *

"_-In my own self-assessment, my character is the worst."_

* * *

_Well? How is it, sis?_

The girl sighed, and continued to walk. "It seems you were right," she confirms, and surveyed the bloodstain around the hallway. "There was a fight in my school. One was a Lancer, but I'm not sure about the other. My guess is a Saber, but it could also very well have been a Rider."

There was a pause, and the girl had a feeling that her sister was sighing on the other end of the connection. She held the crystal with which she was talking closer to her ear, and walked up the stairs.

"Also, a bystander was injured in the attack. Forgot his name, but I think he was one of the second-year students. It's a long story, but he recovered and should be heading back right now."

_Hm. That's risky. What if he reports this to the local police? _

"They'll just say it was him hallucinating. Though, the bloodstain on the shirt would be worrying…" Her footsteps light, the girl took out a mop from the closet and started wiping the blood off the floor.

_Yeah, I suppose so. How about this? Sneak into his house, take off his shirt, and burn it up. That way, no one will be suspicious._

"And what if he notices that his shirt is gone?" the girl asked, finishing off the final red stain and moving to stowing away the mop in the closet.

_Please. Everyone always have a dozen spares for a single piece of clothing. We're not exactly diverse in the wardrobe department, you know._

"If that's the case, then I'll get right on it."

_Be careful, sis. Normally, I would send Caster to assist you, but I don't really trust her. Once you're back, I'll make up for it somehow._

"I'll look forward to it."

The connection cut, and the girl, a witch named Ayaka Sajyou, started to run after the boy.

* * *

"_A magecraft from ages past- I must say, you're pretty strong. For a magus, that is."_

* * *

There was a reason why she did not interfere with the fight.

Maybe it was her imagination, maybe it wasn't, but for whatever reason, Ayaka felt that the Lancer she saw was actually the same she had come to know.

And it was painful. So, very, very painful.

"Squawk!" the crows protested, and Ayaka shook her head. It was not time to dwell in the past, she knew, and her pets proved to be very adept at reminding her of that.

So she continued to run, following the blood trails.

* * *

"_I am Saber- thy Servant, thy keeper."_

* * *

He was so very tired. His eyes were open only by the most miniscule amount, and his breath was nothing more but short gasps for air.

Shirou Emiya had died. He had died, and lived again.

If that wasn't a paradox, then he didn't know what is. A human loses his life, and then his consciousness is lost forever. His body then decomposes, and is left as nothing more than another disgusting husk that needs to be buried.

So, it was no wonder. He had died, but then he was saved. For the second time in his life, he had narrowly averted death's clutches.

Shirou stood up. He looked down, on his bloodstained clothes. He'll need to change that soon.

* * *

"_I ask of you: Are you my Master?"_

* * *

Just a few feet from the boy's house, she encountered a problem.

It came in the form of the Lancer.

"Whoa! Aren't you a fierce one?" His mouth a savage grin, the blue-haired Servant exchanged blows with the magus. "They must've brushed up on their lessons for magi today. Back in my time, you were all weak cowards!"

Ayaka dodged a lightning-fast thrust- something that should be impossible, Lancer noted- and slashed with a reinforced feather.

She did not reply, and grunted as her leg protested against its shameless abuse.

Lancer frowned, and blocked her swing with his lance. His face adjusted into a more serious expression, and it resembled what was quite possibly the closest thing he ever showed to 'dissatisfaction'.

"You're holding back," he said simply, and forcefully pushed forward. With nothing more but another grunt, the magus blocked.

That's right, Ayaka remembered. Lancer always hated it when he felt he was being pitied. And, she added, the best way to get out of this situation alive is to…

Her Circuits briefly flared to life, and a hilt-less metal blade was Projected into her clenched fist.

That's right, she thought again, the best way to deal with the legendary Cu Chulainn is to fight back as fiercely as you can.

"That's better!" he yelled. "More! I want to see more!"

* * *

_"Saber Alter..."_

* * *

Shirou relaxed in the shower he made for himself. For the moment, there was no philosophical debate in his mind. There was only calm water and disappearing weakness.

It's been thirty minutes since he'd entered the bath. He should start cleaning up by now.

* * *

_"The crows seem to adore you."_

* * *

"Witchcraft, eh?" Lancer smirked. "Not bad. You're an interesting young lady, you know? That was exactly what I was looking for in this war."

His lance was held unthreateningly to his side. "Normally, I would leave you alone so we can fight another day, but you're in my way. The boy that lives there saw my fight, you see. We can't have that."

Ayaka took a deep breath -which was hard, as she was gasping for air- and straightened her back. She felt very stupid. What was she thinking, using Projection? Everyone knows that was a useless skill.

Bracing herself for the inevitable fight, she gripped her feathers tighter.

"I'm so very sorry, Mister Lancer, but just as you cannot back down, neither can I."

* * *

_"Please don't leave me, sister."_

* * *

Shirou froze as the lights turned off.

It was a self-defense mechanism that was built into the house. If an uninvited guest with hostile intentions enters the premises, then all electricity will be cut. And since the lights were now out, that can only mean…

A body crashed through the window. Reflexively, Shirou jumped backwards, and the bloody, beaten, but still very much alive girl gasped painfully.

His instinct to come to her aid, however, was shortly shattered when an overwhelming yet familiar tension settled into his body again.

"I gotta hand in to you, kid, you were a real trouble for a civilian. I could have had an enjoyable rematch with her, but nooooo, she _had _to protect you."

The lancer in blue entered through the same window, and approached the boy. He could feel the disappointment coming off him in waves, and his blood ran cold as the red lance appeared once more.

A red lance, glowing with power. He could not help it. If his dad was right, then sorcerers exist in this world. And that would mean…

"Are you a magus?" Shirou whispered softly.

And in that instant, the air itself went numb with shock.

"…"

The lancer in blue glared at the boy, before his hostility disappeared instantly.

"What? So you were a magus, too? Why didn't you say so? Sheesh, look at all the trouble you got me into." He sighed, and Shirou could sense that he was once more immensely disappointed. "Great. Juuuuust great. Now I'll have to bring the girl back to my Master. What's next? She's going to start attacking me with nursery rhymes or something?"

Grumbling, he took a step forward to the body, and Shirou's instincts kicked into gear.

"Stop."

Lancer paused, and turned his face back to him, filled with confusion. Then he grinned. "Oh! So it seems you're the jealous kind of boyfriend to the girl, eh? Ha ha! You're right, you're right, I shouldn't go near her. But still," at this, his face turned serious, "unless you have a particularly skilled healer, she's not going to last much longer."

"I don't care. Even if I drain myself dry to do so, I won't let you hurt her again." He was saved tonight. The only way he could repay that favor is if he saved another life at risk of his own.

It was a contradictory perspective. If he fails, she would die anyway, and it would be his fault. Yes, indeed, it was a strange perspective.

It was a paradoxical paradigm. But it was his paradigm; his distortion.

"Hmph. So the girl's like that, and the boy's the same, huh? Meh, fine. I'm sure that's what lovebirds do these days, anyway." Shrugging, he walks off into the night.

And Shirou Emiya scrambled to save the girl.

* * *

_"I will never leave you, sister. Even if I have to fight everyone else, I will protect you."_

* * *

"She's late."

"I noticed."

Manaka Sajyou paced back and forth the library, her mind unable to focus on reading. It had been two hours since Ayaka had last called, and every passing minute adds another point of worry into her mind.

The fact that Caster did not bother to let up on her whining simply adds to the stress.

"This is so very boring," she said, flipping another page of the book. "Maybe she decided to sneak off with a boy?"

"Impossible," Manaka rejected. "She never goes out at night. We always stick together. What if she died? What if another Servant attacked her?"

"Unlikely. I've seen her capabilities for myself. If she was assaulted, she would've at least been able to escape." Caster paused, then looked at her Master from under her hood. "You know, it might actually be a result of you coddling her. It happens all the time. When young ladies get too restless, they'll start to rebel."

"Rebel? She's on her last year of high school, damn it! She's smart enough not to do something so foolish!"

Caster rolled her eyes, but remained silent.

* * *

_"For his sake, I will kill you all."_

* * *

She was healing fast, that is a fact.

Shirou had taken the girl into his shed, prepared to try his best with whatever first-aid supplies he had, but immediately her wounds had started to close, and her breath had steadied into a pace most would consider normal.

And now he watched her sleep, undisturbed, as dawn approaches.

Was this how it felt to protect someone? If this was what his father had felt when he saved him from the fire, then Shirou will admit this much:

It felt good.

* * *

"_And here, a legend shall be carved, my Queen! A legend that will be carried on to eternity!"_

* * *

Prologue End.


	2. --a black crow's night

Ayaka Sajyou was, contrary to what most people might think, a dreamless sleeper.

There was a period in her life when she did have dreams, yes, but that was due to the Master-Servant contract. And those visions could hardly be called dreams:

They leaned more towards the realm of nightmares.

That was all in the past now, however. And, as her subconscious did not wander during her rest, she was known as a very light sleeper.

While this trait had been useless for most of her life, ever since an Assassin attacked her, its significance in her day-to-day schedule skyrocketed.

Unfortunately for Shirou Emiya, this paranoia created a bad habit; her first act upon waking up was to attack the first thing on sight.

In this case, that 'thing' was him.

"Gah!" he loudly grunted, stepping backwards.

The red-haired boy barely managed to get an arm up in time to block her punch. The fist's impact caused an explosion of pain, and he instinctively grabbed it with his other one.

Ayaka's left arm shot out and grabbed him by the neck. As she prepared to land the killing blow, her mind caught up to her body, and she stopped her hand mid-strike.

"Ah," she said, blinking. Then her eyes widened, and she gently let him down. "Sorry. You startled me."

Shirou was very sure he didn't, but was too busy trying to catch his breath that he didn't really care. That girl was a lot stronger than she looked.

"You are…" she paused, examining his features. "You are the one who saw Lancer fight, aren't you?"

"Y-yes…" he managed to get out, leaning on the wall for support. "Was he… a magus of some sort?"

He immediately regretted asking, as his senior's eyes suddenly narrowed, and her arms tensed.

"Magus?" she carefully interrogated. "Explain."

Shirou thought about his choices. She looked very dangerous, so it might be better if he lied…

"_You're a terrible liar, Senpai."_

…or maybe not, lest he dig himself even deeper into the hole he unknowingly made. So that's one option down, the second would be to make a break for it. The courtyard was only a few meters away, and if he ran to the shed right now, he might be able to use a golf club or something.

Or, he could be honest, and hope that his goodwill have finally paid off and did something for once.

"W-well, he had a glowing spear," he tried to explain. "Dad said combat-based sorcerers usually use physical items to fight more effectively, and there was no way it was an ordinary spear, so…"

Apparently, it was the right thing to say, as she relaxed and let her eyes widen into its normal size.

"I see. So your family must be a practitioners of magecraft." She let out a noiseless sigh, the kind you wouldn't notice unless you were observing her carefully. "No, you were wrong on two things. First, it was not a spear, it was a lance."

Ayaka remembered all those times Lancer complained about it. It made up about 30% of their conversations, actually.

"Second, the Lancer was not a magus. He was… I guess you could say an advanced familiar."

"A fami…liar?" Shirou asked, not understanding what she meant. He never even heard that word before, and only knew the one that meant 'accustomed', though he was sure it wasn't the meaning she intended.

Ayaka stared at him, unblinking, before looking to the side and muttering something unintelligible.

* * *

Ring-ring-ring.

Ring-ring-ring.

With a grumble at the early-morning call, the woman known as Manaka Sajyou picked up the phone, asking with an irritated tone, "What?"

"_It's me. Good morning, sister."_

* * *

_..._

...

* * *

Ayaka left the phone and approached the dining table, hands held firmly to the side.

"I called my sister ahead of time," she says, her voice cutting through the serene atmosphere like a knife and without a single unnecessary emphasis on her words. "It took some convincing, but I have finally persuaded her to explain to you the Holy Grail War."

Shirou perked up at that, and smiled in gratitude. "I see. Thanks, senpai."

"Think of it as compensation for housing me in my unconsciousness," she dismissed him easily. "We must leave in no more than three minutes. My sister can be called many things, but a patient woman she is not."

* * *

Rin Tohsaka woke up that day feeling a small headache.

She didn't know why it was. Maybe she had forgotten to shower last night? Or was it something about the unnaturally late time she went to bed? Or was it because of the fight?

As she showered, she continued to try and find the reason behind the strange amnesia-like gap in her memory, when it hit her.

The realization caused her to drop the sprinkler, and it smacked her upside the head.

"Ouuuuuuccchhhhhh…" she groaned, rubbing her head as it throbbed with pain. Who's idea had it been to make the sprinkler head out of metal?

"No time for that," she whispered to herself, and quickly dried herself up before slamming the bathroom door open and running to the phone. For reasons she had liked to keep to herself, the number for 'Emiya Shirou' was engraved at the back of her mind, and within seconds she was waiting for the other end to pick up.

* * *

By the time the call reached the Emiya household, the two were already halfway down the road to Ayaka's house.

As they walked, the long path let Shirou's mind wander. Like he did for many other things, he briefly considered the possibility that this was all just a dream, and he would wake up slumped in the archery dojo, pathetically sprawled out in exhaustion.

He brushed away that thought in seconds, but not before considering the almost surreal events piling up one after another.

First, his senpai turned out to be a magus like his dad.

Second, a mysterious, specific kind of advanced familiar attacked and killed him.

Third, an unidentified stranger saved his life.

Fourth, he was about to die… again.

Fifth, a careless slip-up saved him... again.

Now that he thought about it, Shirou's life really should have been turned upside down after that night.

But it just didn't feel like it.

Maybe it was because he had finally been able to watch over someone while they are vulnerable; been able to protect someone from possible dangers.

But whatever it was, his mind was much clearer that morning than it ever had before; as if his very existence could simply scatter to the winds with joy.

* * *

In another part of Fuyuki City, a black-haired magus walked to school.

Rin felt guilt as she approached the white building. The facility had been place she had saved the boy, if only for a brief moment, and it was the place she would always consider a monument to the price of inattention and carelessness.

It was almost pathetic, in a way. Had her father been alive and saw this, he would have given her a strict and stern talking-to about the worthlessness of sorrow and mourning, and order her to go up to her room and consider his words, school completely brushed aside.

But her father wasn't there. Neither was her mother. All she had was herself, and a man who appears to be a priest, though she did not believe that was his real job.

And since a priest would allow regrets and confessions, Rin supposed she could feel guilty. That was part of the job description, after all.

Maybe she should stop by the church later? It might help alleviate at least a little of the crushing burden she felt was on her shoulders now.

* * *

Behind the contemplating Tohsaka heir, Archer felt the consequences of the fulfillment of his dreams hit him full-force.

The Tohsaka estate had lost its air of confidence and noble grace. His Master's pace had changed from arrogant and defiant to timid and cowardly.

There was now an apparent discord between her and reality, like she was nothing more than a puppet that happens to eat, sleep, drink, and walk.

But the biggest of all the consequences was not the changes that overtook the world he once knew. No, it was instead a _lack_ of change.

He was still a Counter Guardian. He was still connected to the World.

And he was still the Heroic Spirit EMIYA.

Even now, Archer faces the foolishness of that dream. He knew that there had been countless universes, and he knew what his timeline had been like.

So why didn't he remind his Master? Why didn't he spare the boy?

_To prevent him from creating a second EMIYA_, he tried to convince himself.

The keyword here being 'tried'.

* * *

"So, this must be our new guest, huh?"

Shirou found himself facing a woman, who appeared to be around twenty, measuring him up and down with a small frown on her face.

"Hey, wait a minute, I think I've seen him before…" At this, her frown deepened, and she examined his face closer. Shirou had, by this point, started to become uncomfortable at the close distance, until finally her features brightened up and she pointed a finger at him.

"A-ha! You're that guy who always visits my grocery store every week!"

"-huh?" he asked dumbly, unsure what to make of the much too cheerful woman. Then he remembered all those visits he made to the shopping district, buying supplies and ingredients, and vaguely recalled seeing a pink-haired employee cleaning up the racks at one point.

"Oh," he said, and scratched his head in embarrassment. Thankfully, his senior could see his discomfort, and spoke to end it, though whether or not that had been her motive remains unclear.

"While it is good that you two can see each other weekly, perhaps we should begin discussing the War now?" There was a note of irritation in Ayaka's voice. Not one that spoke of any emotion or any urgency, but a simple annoyance of one who was denied the ability to move at her own pace.

It was also a tone Shirou had never heard her use before. Not when he stalled earlier by taking a tediously long shower, not when he had accidentally overfilled her cup of tea, and not even when he had tripped on a sidewalk on the way to her house.

"Right, right, sorry, sis," Manaka placated with a chuckle. "It's just, this guy's been very helpful at the store. At one point, he even volunteered to carry an entire box of supplies all the way from the other side of the bridge when our truck broke down." She turned her attention back to the red-haired boy. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't I offer you a part-time job..."

Ayaka did not say anything as the scene unfolded, and instead poured all three of them some tea. After she filled her own cup, she sat down beside her sister and tapped her fingers against the table, waiting for her to calm down and start explaining.

That was yet another sign to Shirou that she may have far more depth to her character than he originally thought. When outside, she had never showed signs of boredom or patience. She simply cut to the chase, dragging everything else with her kicking and screaming.

* * *

The backdoor that led inside the church opened, and Lancer walked in, whistling all the while.

Kirei Kotomine, quite possibly the only priest that lives in Fuyuki City, peeked at the man in blue from his spot in the relatively bright side of the room.

"Ahhhh," Lancer sighed in satisfaction, "that was a good fight. I really hope that girl didn't die. I can't wait to see how things would have gone if she was actually prepared."

"She _is _quite the interesting one, isn't she?" the priest asked without a hint of acknowledgement in his tone. He could very well be talking to thin air.

"You got that right. Hey, you wouldn't happen to be interested enough to order me to investigate further, would you? I mean, she might endanger your plan, wouldn't she?"

Kirei paused, closed his eyes, and then opened them again. "No."

"Meh, you spoilsport." Undeterred by the dismissal, Lancer sighed and walked towards the man in black coat. "Fine. You need me for anything more? 'Cause I really want to go practice, just in case the girl and I meet each other again." He grinned. "I'm still curious how she managed to keep up with me, and I definitely won't slack off either."

"If it helps, the church's structure includes an empty courtyard. We have a few unused wooden planks in the attic. You may want to use them, if you're not too busy… 'fantasizing' of your next meeting with her."

"That's awfully generous of you. I'll go right no- Wait." Lancer's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What did you just imply I would do?"

"Nothing. I was simply making an educated guess. Go."

Grumbling, Lancer complied.

After a few moments, a man in gold armor walked out of the shadows, who had, until then, went unnoticed.

"Finally, the battle-crazed dog has left," the man said with an authoritative voice, even though he did not give any order whatsoever. "I was beginning to get tired having to stand while he chats away time. It is unbecoming of me to be forced to stay so… _idle._"

"If that is the case, you would normally be drinking wine by now." Kirei closed his Bible and glanced at the golden knight. "Is something the matter?"

"I am in quite the good mood today."

Now that was surprising. Gilgamesh had never been in a good mood. He barely gets a single grain of satisfaction in the years he had been staying in the city, and yet, so suddenly, he was so very lenient.

Kirei stayed silent, for otherwise he may soil the Golden King's bath in euphoria. He continued anyway, paying the priest no more attention.

"I was walking down the street this morning, passing by the residences to make sure all realizes their king walks among them, when quite suddenly, I noticed a young woman in one of the buildings. She was changing her clothes, and I was just about ready to leave her be in disgust, when I noticed her eyes."

Gilgamesh smiled, which was itself a rare sight, as he had only ever worn either an arrogant smirk or a stoic face of boredom.

"They were beautiful eyes," he said, his voice gaining a poetic melody, yet still retaining the tone of command that always filled his sentences. "Azure eyes that I have never seen so pure of. Clearer than the skies. Stronger than the sturdiest iron."

Now Kirei was infinitely curious. No one had ever before enraptured the King of Heroes' attention as this one 'young woman' had. He was, quite simply, flooding her with compliments, of which he had given to only one other man.

"What was her name?"

Gilgamesh did not seem to hear, as he made his way to the backdoor. Then, as if it was nothing more but an afterthought, he said, with great care and admiration,

"Sajyou. Ayaka Sajyou."

* * *

Taiga Fujimura barged right into the Emiya household. She roared, with might and force,

"SHIROU! FOOOOOOOOODDDDD!"  
…

Nothing. No red-haired manservant coming out to greet her. No smell from the kitchen revealing what he made for breakfast.

Nothing.

* * *

The howl of a great tiger was unleashed upon the unprepared world. A wave of fear and unexplained sensation of absolute doom washed through Fuyuki City, and children started to cry for absolutely no reason.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Sajyou residence, Shirou suddenly choked on his drink.

"Are you alright?" Manaka asked, her concern just barely identifiable in her serious features. "If you want, I could get Ayaka to bring down some cough syrup. She's changing upstairs."

"No, no, I'm all right," he assured. He was the guest, after all. He couldn't possibly give them trouble. That would be unbecoming of him.

"If you're sure," the woman sighs, which, unlike her sister's, was noisy and filled with frustration. "Anyway, I've just explained to you what we're involved in. I think you know your choice now.

"Emiya Shirou. Will you join the War, or will you stay out of it?"

Shirou stared back into the pink-haired woman's eyes, and thought deeply. He tried to think of the advantages of escaping the War.

"If I decide to stay out of it," Shirou hesitated, but continued on, "what will happen?"

"Normally, I'd say you could continue your normal lifestyle, but I don't think sis would agree." Manaka sighed again, this time out of wistfulness. "I think she's gotten attached to you, honestly; it's hard for her not to. She's always had a soft spot for people new to war and conflict. If we let you go now, she would probably set up an explosive Formalcraft circle around your house. Which will activate if anyone with Magic Circuits other than yours go within a meter close, by the way. Yeah, she's a bit… eh, how do you say it… thorough."

Okay, Shirou thought. No way am I backing out now. Sakura and Fuji-nee will probably die, and he would be missing two of the most important people in his life. But just to test the advantages of the other option, he asked,

"And what if I join?"

Manaka broke out of her sheepish smile and placed her cup of tea back to the table. "You'll have to summon your Servant, and while I would like nothing more than stay clear of you, well, like I said, Ayaka's gotten attached to you. She would help you with the summoning, mentor you in anything you want her to, and will keep a close eye on you the whole time."

Shirou considered his options. Technically, he had nothing to lose from running away, but…

* * *

"_When I was a child, I wanted to be a hero." _

"'_Wanted to'? You mean you failed?"_

"_Yes._ _Being a hero is a time-limited thing. Once you grow older, it becomes an impossible dream."_

"_In that case, let me inherit that ideal. You can't save everyone, because you're old. But I'm still young, so I can still save people, right?"_

"_Yeah. I guess, I can rest easy now."_

* * *

…to preserve that ideal, he would sacrifice the normalcy that had settled into his life.

"I'll join the War,"

he said, his determination filling the room with its intensity. As if in response, footsteps came from the stairs, and Ayaka Sajyou walked down to greet him. And she said,

"Then I will watch over you."

For the first time since he met her, she smiled.

And in that instant, all his worries disappeared- for he had been able to make someone smile.

* * *

(Author's Notes)

_watch?v=vmby66F2hDE_

_For those of you who haven't watched Fate Prototype, here's a link._

_A few things to talk about here: from somewhere in the Internet, I have found myself in the possession of the English version of Ayaka's info in the Character Material. Here's her description:_

_"Presumed to be normal and behaving inconspicuously, she is actually a beautiful official heroine. Once she takes off her glasses, everything from her eye color to her hair color becomes brighter."_

_In the second image, there was:_

_"The protagonist. At first glance, she is mature and sorrowful. On the inside, she is aloof and aggressive. From her outer appearance and past experience, her aptitude as a magus is low. She starts out with a complex over how she is a magus and is basically timid around places with other people. Boastful at home but timid outside, she seems very arrogant at home. (When she is in mistress of the house mode, she is very much like FSN Rin, but she does not have Rin's overflowing confidence and seems more like a child throwing a tantrum) Because her sister who passed away eight years ago was a genius, she developed a complex over her own normality. Her father who also passed away eight years ago told her that "You have no choice but to enter into the Heaven's Feel, but she herself absolutely refused and tried to escape. When she was seemingly killed by Lancer, she summoned Saber who saved her and had no choice but to join the Holy Grail War. During the course of the War, her personality slightly changes for the better (in other words, she gets over her trauma)."_

_Now, obviously, this won't be in effect. This story is officially an Alternate Universe. I used to have a flowchart, but deleted it after a complaint. Like I might have said before:_

_Hate mails have some use, you know. _


	3. Counting down to Zero

"He was able to come home safely," was what came out of Ayaka's mouth the moment she walked into the living room.

The pink-haired girl looked up from her place on the couch, and she idly noted that her sister's posture was slightly stiffer than normal. Fearing the worst, she asked,

"Did you… uh… place any 'in case of an emergency' spells around the house?" Manaka paused her swift read through a book to observe the witch's response, just in case she tried to lie through the conversation.

"…Yes," Ayaka admitted, a small bit of shame in her voice.

While this conversation is, by nature, incredibly strange and does not carry a topic one would normally carry around the house, it is a daily routine for the two sisters. Every time one of them comes home from something work-related, the other would hesitatingly ascertain small, slight details of overkill tendencies that may pose problems in the future- just so that both remember possible destruction of property a week in advance.

Even Manaka had her moments of overboard preparations. How she had managed to set up explosives in one of Fukutoshin's skyscrapers, Ayaka would never know. Perhaps in these cases, it is best that the truth remains unsaid.

The younger of the two approached the couch, holding in her hands a small white plastic bag. She lifted it into the air and said, "Emiya made us some dinner. Shall we eat?"

"Sorry, but, uh… I already did. Thirty minutes ago, actually." Smiling nervously, the elder placed her book down on the table and scratched the back of her head.

"Ah," Ayaka muttered, sounding disappointed but reluctantly accepting the truth. "Well, I'll just finish mine in the bedroom, then."

"What, you're working on another of those training schedules? You've been writing down on the same paper in all your spare time. Can't you leave it for Sunday?"

"That's the day we're summoning Emiya's Servant," she reminded.

And this time, it was Manaka who said, "Ah."

* * *

Shirou Emiya did not sleep that very same night.

There were a great many factors that influenced this behavior, some of them silly (such as Taiga's great assault three hours earlier) and some of them serious (such as the practice he had in the shed earlier).

But there was one factor, one very irritating factor that contributed the most to his severe lack of concentration.

"_She has a soft spot for those new to war and conflict."_

The boy knew why he hated that statement. It was not, as an unfamiliar observer might think, a matter of pride or a twisted sense of honor. Neither was it because he hated the feeling of being pitied upon.

He hated it because it contradicted his ideal.

A hero is supposed to help, not to_ be_ helped.

Now, even Shirou, distorted as he was, can easily point out that he was being illogical, as he had yet to even begin fighting for his ideals, which puts him in a bad spot to be trying to defend its values.

But still, the sense of fury lingered. It was directed at neither his senior nor his situation- it was directed at he himself, a feeling of self-loathing at being unable to without troubling others.

* * *

On the other side of Fuyuki's residential areas, where the more Western houses are placed, the phone at the Tohsaka manor rang, echoing through the empty halls and high ceilings. It rang persistently for a minute longer before the house's owner picked it up.

"This is Tohsaka Rin speaking," she greeted in a dejected voice. "What business do you have calling me this late?"

"_This is Sajyou," _came the reply. _"I called to inform you of a certain matter."_

Sajyou. Rin's sleep-deprived mind tried to place that name. It took a delay of ten seconds, but she finally remembered how she had come to know it.

"Oh, Sajyou. Your family was the one my father allowed to take up land in my territory, wasn't it? Well, whatever it is you wanted to talk about, can it wait until tomorrow? I need my sleep, you know."

"_It is not urgent, I suppose, though it deals with matters that would no doubt affect your mental state in a rather positive way."_

Rin sighed, a long, tomboyish sound that spoke of obvious frustration. "Might as well hear it," she admitted, and silently prodded the other magus to start speaking.

"_I have confirmed the safety of Emiya Shirou."_

* * *

With those words, the first night passed, and dawn arrived at the turn of a corner.

Restless minds drifted to sleep, and the cold winds of Fuyuki City chilled the early morning.

* * *

There was something about the red-haired boy that bothered Ayaka.

It was not his character, and neither was it any possible physical deficiencies. It was, instead, something much more subtle yet irritatingly closer to the mind.

His presence gave her extreme discomfort, but increasing distance from him screamed against her senses.

The boy was like a contradiction- a human-sized void in her reality. A contradiction that, quite oddly, felt welcome.

* * *

Thirty minutes before the bell rang, and the school's resident janitor had already entered the Student Council Room.

"Emiya, what are you doing here so early?"

Shirou closed the door behind him, approaching his friend. "There were still a few things we need to fix, wasn't there?" he asked, lifting up the toolbox in his hands.

Issei frowned. "No, there isn't. While you were absent yesterday, the rest of the student council decided to hire an actual repairman. I tried to veto the idea, but since it's a majority-wins system, I had to fold in to their demands."

For a normal person, that statement would've stung. But for Shirou Emiya, who believed in helping others without being given back anything, the news are a huge relief.

"Well, it's a good thing we don't have to worry about any amateur mistakes now, isn't it?"

The council president deepened his frown. "No, of course not. Do you know how much that repairman charged for his services?"

"Uhhh, I don't think I really want to find out," he admitted.

"I thought so. That reminds me: how exactly _did_ you get sick yesterday? We saw marks of very thoroughly cleaned stains on the hallway. Did you have such a bad stomachache you vomited? There was no need to go through all the trouble to wipe it, you know. It could have made a bad problem worse."

"I, uh, that's…"

* * *

In the third-year classrooms, the day-to-day activities went by smoothly and without any interruptions. Even with the rather chaotic nights that had now overtaken the city, at school, not a single soul would have guessed that Ayaka was anything beyond ordinary.

This could, in part, be attributed to her physical features.

There was nothing that looked outstanding about her, unlike many other magi. Her height, shape, attire, and composure are all perfectly average. Her hair was colored normally, she set about her tasks without any strange character traits.

In fact, the only ones who saw just how different she could be were either part of her family or the participants of the Fukutoshin Holy Grail Wars.

And between those two, the latter group of people needed no worry. They were all dead- even Lancer, by the end of it all.

Of course, under that unassuming facade, this normalcy was nothing more than an illusion.

It was a well-kept illusion, really. When it came to hiding her other side, Ayaka was the best. If one were to sneak into her room, there would be no incriminating evidence of her involvement in magecraft. Should anyone look up her records, they would see nothing more than a tragic past, and an odd sense of sympathy will seep into the observer.

Yet even with the flawless precautions in place, at rare moments, her body would refuse to go with the flow and show signs of her less innocent parts.

"-!"

Ayaka's body suddenly twitched slightly, suppressing the uncontrollable shake that overtook her innards. A great pain erupted somewhere under her neck, and to someone new the shock would be enough to make them double over and cause a commotion.

She was not new to the pain, however. She knew the signs of its approach, set limits to how painful it would be, and created a careful posture that would be enough to hide her grimace.

And for a brief moment, her eyes glowed brightly- it glowed a charming, attractive, and beautiful blue. It was an unnatural, uncommon and untarnished gaze. This moment lasted but a few seconds, however, and soon she had resumed her normal pose, and none realized the near-burst of power.

* * *

As she walked to her own class, Rin was careful not to let herself stray too far to the direction of Shirou's classroom. This strange behavior was an unconscious action, one that would have made her embarrass herself and soil her perfect reputation, and it was also one that she could- just barely- suppress.

Before this morning, the Tohsaka had always thought her father's strict policy of having all the magi who share a part of his land report to him daily was simply a useless, just-for-bragging rights order that would not have any effects beyond making the family look like pretentious idiots.

Now, though, her gratitude for her late father's legacy increased dramatically- and so did her respect and tolerance for the Sajyou family.

"An apprentice, huh?" Even as she entered the class and walked to her seat, Rin mused how brilliant the plan that Ayaka had created was. Had she been faced with the situation of having an innocent bystander caught up in the Grail War, she would admittedly go towards the standard 'killing' solution.

She had never really considered the idea of taking someone in and training him. This lack of creativity, which had plagued her time and again, may be attributed to her almost complete lack of trust for anyone. Which, considering who her only guardian is, was perfectly justifiable.

But, perhaps, the disadvantage she held at the creativity department was exactly the reason why she has other magi families to rely on; not that she would admit as much directly, but it was, in her opinion, the thought that counts.

"Maybe I should have her teach him reinforcement," Rin thought aloud, her hands scribbling down ideas on a piece of paper. "He always did want to make that jump all those years ago…"

Muttering to herself, she did not notice how the rest of her class had started taking furtive glances towards her, their confusion over her behavior reaching it's peak.

* * *

Down the street, through the shopping district, and at the final intersection, a black crow landed on a telephone pole, silently tracking a priest as he walked down the street. The familiar followed him into a restaurant, its black feathers blending in with the shadows.

"One Mapo Tofu, please," the priest says, and the waitress bowed and left to pass his order. As Kotomine Kirei waited patiently and stoically, his chopsticks clicking on the table, the crow silently fluttered its wings, dropping a feather.

Its job done, the black bird flew away, back to its master.

* * *

"Thank you, Snuggly," Ayaka whispered, even as her familiar returned to its station.

It was lunchtime, a period when her classmates usually desert the classroom for the cafeteria. The conveniently empty tables were filled with lots of messy books, papers, and opened lunchboxes.

Snuggly spotted one with beef in it, and squawked as it tried to fly over. His master's hand, however, stopped him mid-flight, and it turned up to stare at her.

"No, do not eat that."

The crow suddenly seemed very sad and appeared to be on the verge of crying.

* * *

"_The crows seem to adore you."_

* * *

"-!"

Ayaka's own eyes widened for a few long moments, before she released her grip. Joyously, Snuggly flew over and started eating the unlucky student's food.

"…I am so pathetic," she whispered.

* * *

The problem with having the Student Council President as your best friend might not be very obvious. Indeed, it would seem that such a status has no undesirable consequences whatsoever.

For Shirou, however, being friends with Issei Ryuudou soon became a breeding ground of constant suspicious glances and daily surveillance- of which he was now the target of.

"Very well. I'll see you tomorrow, then." The would-be monk pushed his glasses up. "Oh, and before I forget. Emiya. Be wary of that Tohsaka, all right? She's a devious fox waiting to pounce on her prey. The Student Council cannot afford to lose you."

"Yeah, sure," Shirou replied uneasily. "I'll just… take the alternate route home, in that case."

"Smart. Do not hesitate to call if she starts an assault. Well, then, I'll be going now."

Waving, the red-haired boy sighed dejectedly and walked to the gates. Hidden behind the concrete wall to his sides, Ayaka stood patiently, waiting with her arms in a position that barely qualifies as 'crossed'. The picture added paint to the illusion of normalcy, as if she was nothing more than a quiet girl waiting for her friend.

Shirou knew better. He also knew her patience wasn't nearly as expansive as most believe.

With only a simple nod of acknowledgement, the (seemingly) black-haired girl quietly began to follow the boy's footsteps.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, hidden amidst the trees and bushes of the Einzbern Forest, a howl pierced through the air.

"|||||||||||||||||!"

A torrent of destruction shook the earth, and the Berserker charged.

Its enemy, the Caster, responded with spear-shaped condensed energy and more explosions, her hands nothing more than blurs as they reached into a vast, almost unlimited source of power.

This was a surreal sight, both for a bystander (of which there are none) and for a magus.

A Caster should not be able to match a Berserker. The mad giant should have squashed the wizard-like Servant into a small pile of flesh and broken bones mere seconds into the battle, and there should have been one less enemy to fight in the War.

Yet here, the Caster was fighting back ferociously. It should have been impossible for her to waste as much energy as she was now. The Servant of the Wand's agility pales in comparison to Berserker's, and the moment she makes a single wrong step, her life is forfeit.

What was the driving force behind the purple-robed woman's rise in threat level?

All that lies within her Master: one Manaka Sajyou.

"||||||!"

"Ha, you really are just a rabid dog, aren't you?" the witch taunted. "Do be a good boy and _die, _why don't you?"

Standing ten meters away, Manaka observed the fight, being unable to do much at the moment. Beside the obviously steep difference in physical proportions, currently all her power is directed towards her own Servant.

But the generous amount of energy being wasted is not to be misunderstood. This battle was, to her, simply an experiment. While neither her nor her sister were much good at the lab, the elder was always, at heart, a scientist.

Perhaps it all started when she was born, and she was revealed to be a genius at her work; swamped with praises by everyone, adored by all her cousins and uncles and aunts, and given all she wanted in her childhood.

Or perhaps it was because science was her mother's field of work: and being the highly regarded first child of the family, it is only to be expected that she would wish to follow her footsteps.

Or, perhaps, it was all simply because her beloved little sister encouraged her to.

It is a known and admitted fact that there are many oddities in the bond between the two sisters. At times, they would be able to offend the other in a way that would have broken any other family, and in other times, they could be so close it pushes the limits of familial ties.

But if there is one thing all can agree on, it is that the two complement each other perfectly; and just as Ayaka was the best in terms of direct combat, Manaka was best in passive and behind-the-scenes activity.

"|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||!"

To be perfectly honest, the pink-haired woman had originally thought about calling in her sister. If she had, then the chances of winning the fight would rise significantly, given the spectacular things she was born with and could unleash in the heat of battle.

But even in the face of such possible advantages, she would not ask anything of her sister: for Manaka Sajyou would rather send her own Servant to death in battle, than risk the death of her only remaining family.

* * *

Atop a hill, at the end of a long winding road, the man who had a tongue-burning lunch entered his home.

"We have a new participant in the War," Kirei announced, his voice echoing through the church.

"Oh?" Lancer grunted, raising an eyebrow as he paused mid-swing. The blue-haired man turned from the wooden target dummy, of which there was many holes and tear marks. "What makes you so sure? No one came in while you were out for tofu, you know."

The priest simply held up a black feather, which quickly became the focus of the Servant's attention.

"O-ho," he whistled. "Magecraft from ages past. I'll say, whoever made this sure did a good job, considering today's standards."

The man dressed in blue swiped the feather away from his Master's hands, admiring its rather beautifully carved structure, before he noticed a sort of writing on the surface.

"Well, that's strange. I didn't know you could write on feathers."

"Neither did I," Kirei agreed. "But the facts speak for themselves; take your toy and practice upstairs. We can expect the new Master any moment now."

* * *

Whichever way things will go, this Heaven's Feel has been irreparably altered.

Yet, some things will remain the same.

Battles will be fought.

Declarations of war and promises of alliance will be made.

And, for our resident hero of justice,

Love shall bloom, even in the midst of conflict.


End file.
